The same ads would have been banned from children’s T.V. shows under U.K. regulations because they prohibit the advertising of food and drinks high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) during children’s programs.

But there is a way to take advantage of loopholes in these regulations, and this means that shows that feature children, even those marketed as “family shows,” are not covered by the same safeguards on HFSS advertising as shows watched only by younger viewers.

A report called “A ‘Watershed’ Moment: Why it’s Prime Time to Protect Children from Junk Food Adverts,” which was commissioned by the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), referred to data collected and analyzed by Drs. Emma Boyland and Rosa Whalen from the University’s Appetite and Obesity research group. The report tried to look into the extent of this problem and lists possible solutions.

The new study examined the T.V. advertising around five T.V. shows aimed at families and are being broadcast on different U.K. television channels. The shows were The Voice (ITV), Ninja Warriors UK (ITV), Coronation Street (ITV), The Simpsons (Channel 4), and Hollyoaks (E4). Hundreds of thousands of children view each episode of these shows.

The researchers revealed that at least six out of ten (or 59 percent) of food and drink ads aired during these shows were for HFSS products. In the worst case scenario, children see at least nine HFSS ads every 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, fruits and vegetables were promoted in only one percent of food and drink ads shown during theses programs. Ads for fast food and takeaways were at least three times more common than other kinds of food and drinks adverts, especially since they often sponsor popular prime-time family shows.

Some proposed solutions for this concern involves extending existing regulations that will restrict HFSS advertising on TV to cover programming beyond those only aimed at children.

Boyland concluded, “Current regulations focus disproportionately on advertising around programming designed for or targeted at children, such as dedicated children’s channels. However, data from the broadcast regulator themselves (OfCom) shows that children spend a majority of their viewing time outside of such programming, instead watching family viewing and more generic entertainment shows such as The Voice where food advertising is far less restricted.”